Despite their ageing years and the passing of several teammates, nine members of the 1954 team, including captain Ray Stokes, were in attendance, reliving the glory of their nine-point win over Wynyard.

The camaraderie of the 1974 team was also on display, with players from Queensland and Victoria coming down for the event, including full-back Graeme Watts, who was a fly-in player for the Tigers in their 33-point win over Latrobe.

The former St Kilda-listed player said it was the first time he had seen some of his teammates since the grand final, and recollected the memories of a successful season under coach John Bonney, who had crossed from arch-rival Cooee.

‘‘John had made a fair sacrifice to do what he did and it was a very professional club headed up by the likes of Leigh Bishop,’’ Watts said.

‘‘All the boxes in a football club you have to tick from discipline to culture to personnel. We ticked them all and then it all came together.

‘‘In the grand final I was fortunate to play on Darrel Baldock, and I was very lucky that he was 36 and I was only 21.

‘‘The game itself was a bit of a fait accompli, we won comfortably and our boys did what they had to do. Everyone carried the load.’’